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The influence of erosion and vegetation on soil production and chemical weathering rates in the Southern Alps, New Zealand
No full textChemical weathering influences many aspects of the Earth system, including biogeochemical cycling, climate, and ecosystem function. Physical erosion influences chemical weathering rates by setting the supply of fresh minerals to the critical zone. Vegetation also influences chemical weathering rates, both by physical processes that expose mineral surfaces and via production of acids that contribute to mineral dissolution. However, the role of vegetation in setting surface process rates in different landscapes is unclear. Here we use ¹⁰Be and geochemical mass balance to quantify soil production, physical erosion, and chemical weathering rates in a landscape where a migrating drainage divide separates catchments with an order-of magnitude contrast in erosion rates and where vegetation spans temperate rainforest, tussock grassland, and unvegetated alpine ecosystems in the western Southern Alps of New Zealand. Soil production, physical erosion, and chemical weathering rates are significantly higher on the rapidly eroding versus the slowly eroding side of the drainage divide. However, chemical weathering intensity does not vary significantly across the divide or as a function of vegetation type. Soil production rates are correlated with ridgetop curvature, and ridgetops are more convex on the rapidly eroding side of the divide, where soil mineral residence times are lowest. Hence our findings suggest fluvially-driven erosion rates control soil production and soil chemical weathering rates by influencing the relationship between hillslope topography and mineral residence times. In the western Southern Alps, soil production and chemical weathering rates are more strongly mediated by physical rock breakdown driven by landscape response to tectonics, than by vegetation
“Got milk alternatives?” Understanding key factors determining U.S. consumers’ willingness to pay for plant-based milk alternatives
No full textThis study is focused on such beverages and provides insights and best practice recommendations for marketing managers in the U.S. food retail sector. An online survey was distributed to explore factors explaining the intentions of U.S. consumers to purchase and pay a premium for plant-based milk alternatives. Food curiosity and food price inflation were identified as relevant for both willingness to buy and willingness to pay a price premium. In addition, animal welfare concerns and the green and clean product image of plant-based alternatives were relevant to the willingness to pay a premium for plant-based milk
Bucket up! Can large private properties provide substantial coastal flood mitigation under climate change?
No full textProtecting vulnerable coastal cities from flooding under climate change is challenging. Many studies have demonstrated that conventional approaches, like the installation or reinforcement of front-line defence structures (e.g., walls and dykes), will be inadequate, and there is a risk of under or over investment under climate change uncertainty. An alternative is to provide additional green stormwater infrastructure facilities, or ‘buckets,’ for holding the additional surface water. However public land capable of serving as such is often missing. While many cities are now requiring private landowners to install small buckets on their land, regardless of their capability for mitigating flooding, their impact may be minor as implementation is too slow. We need a more cost effective and strategic approach for installing larger buckets to ensure our communities and central business districts are protected. Can private properties with large areas of open space, like industrial lands, provide a better solution? Here, we apply a hydrological and spatial analysis methodology to assess the potential of large industrial parcels across catchments in Christchurch, New Zealand, to provide substantial flood mitigation under different climate change projections. We find industrial parcels could provide substantial flood mitigation within three of six study catchments, reducing the severity of climate change-induced increased runoff volume to the current flood protection level under any climate scenario in the immediate future (2030-2050). Industrial land in two of these catchments could also reduce runoff to this level in the distant future (2080-2100), and under larger storm events, though not under all climate scenarios
Responses of perennial ryegrass populations to grazing method and endophytic relationships : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Agricultural Science at Lincoln University
Get PDFNew Zealand dairy farmers rely primarily on swards based on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) for feeding dairy cows. The direct-grazed, low-cost production system that these pastures enable provides the New Zealand dairy industry with a competitive advantage for products in the international market. As a result, the industry contributes significantly to New Zealand’s export earnings and national gross domestic product. However, farmers in the upper North Island have expressed concern about the poor productivity of their perennial ryegrass pastures beyond three years post-sowing and have linked this to more-frequent occurrence of drier and warmer conditions for pasture growth during summer and autumn. Recent research has shown that even pastures sown with new ryegrass cultivars inoculated with the most-advanced endophyte strains cannot sustain high productivity under the severe climatic conditions and increased insect pest burdens being experienced in many parts of the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Northland. In some cases, this is due to the death of ryegrass plants and ingress of lower-producing weed species, while in other cases reasonable ryegrass plant density can be sustained, but growth rates are poor. There is limited information on the plant population and phenological factors associated with these changes, making it difficult for farmers, agronomists and plant breeders to develop effective solutions. The study described in this thesis investigated the differences in phenotypic trait expression of perennial ryegrass plants removed from 10-year old pastures grazed by dairy cows in the Waikato (‘survivor’ plants) versus plants grown from the original seed lines that were used to sow the pastures and had, therefore, not been subject to any environmental selection pressure (‘reference’ plants). The study aimed to help inform future plant breeding efforts to utilise phenotypic changes and reselect for traits that are associated with better plant survival.
Three populations were compared: reference plants; survivors from pastures rotationally grazed by dairy cows since they were established in autumn 2011 (‘control’); and survivors from pastures managed as per the control treatment, but where grazing was deferred for ~ 120 days from mid spring to mid-summer to promote new seedling recruitment two years before plants were collected from the field (‘deferred’). Four perennial ryegrass cultivars were included in the design: Nui standard endophyte (SE); Commando AR37, a mid-season heading diploid; Alto AR37 a late season heading diploid; and Halo AR37 a very late heading tetraploid. Thus, 12 populations were compared. Initially, there were 60 plants per population giving a total of 720 plants which were grown individually in pots at Lincoln University. The first phase was a pilot study during the early acclimatisation period where progress towards equalisation of plant growth across the populations was tracked. Biomass accumulation and reproductive development were assessed from late February to late April. Substantial flowering activity was recorded in the control and deferred populations for all cultivars, but not in the reference population, illustrating the expected carry-over effects related to differences in plant source (clonal fragments from the field versus seed-derived for the reference population). Biomass accumulation was initially lower in the reference population but there were no differences between populations by day 105 when plants had tillered-out to a similar degree. All plants were then analysed for the presence or absence of endophyte and, where endophyte was present, its genetic identity (strain). Plants with no endophyte, or with an endophyte strain that was not AR37 (or not SE, for Nui), were discarded and plant numbers rebalanced to 30 plants per population that were confirmed as ‘true-to-type’ for the original host genotype – endophyte strain combination sown in 2011. Four further populations of control plants (one for each cultivar; total 240 plants) were available for endophyte analysis from a site in Canterbury where the same experimental design and seed lines as used in the Waikato was established at the same time. The grazing deferral treatment was not implemented at this site. For Waikato, the percentage of plants that were true-to-type was significantly higher in the reference population (82%) than the control and deferred populations (69-71%). Overall, Commando had significantly lower percentage true-to-type than the other cultivars (60% versus 78-82%), with a high presence of standard endophyte (22%) indicating contamination by volunteer ryegrass plants and poorer persistence of the original population. For the Canterbury control populations, mean true-to-type percentages were 85-98% across the four cultivars, i.e. generally higher than for the original seed lines.
The second phase was a detailed phenological study, where plant, leaf and tiller characteristics were measured on the true-to-type plants only, and flowering observations were conducted for 70 days starting in mid-October. Phenotypic measurements included: leaf weight, length, width, area, specific leaf area and thickness; pseudostem weight, length and width; and visual scores of rust, tillering and growth habit. Control plants had significantly lower leaf dry weight, shorter leaves and smaller lamina area than the reference plants, with no interaction between population source and cultivar. Deferred populations did not differ from reference populations in these traits, indicating grazing deferral ‘re- set’ the plant phenotype back from the control state to its original state, at least for the first 18 months after deferral. There were no differences between populations in pseudostem characteristics, growth habit or tiller density scores, but reference populations showed a trend towards higher incidence of rust compared with control and deferred. A significant shift toward later flowering in the control population compared with the reference population was found for Nui, Commando and Alto, but not for Halo. In summary, differentiation toward smaller leaves, greater disease resistance, and later flowering was observed after nearly ten years under grazing in the Waikato populations when potential contaminants were excluded and any effects due to endophyte presence/absence or variant strains were removed. It appears that the shift towards longer leaves can be reversed by deferring grazing to allow recruitment of new seedlings into the population. In contrast, shifts in rust resistance and flowering in control populations were not reversed as a result of spring/summer grazing deferral. Further investigation of the genetic factors controlling the reversibility of leaf traits could help identify breeding objectives for maintaining the persistence of yield advantages in ryegrass pastures. Future studies should also examine possible long-term benefits of this management practice to bring about phenotypic change for yield improvements and consider the duration of possible carry-over effects
Can we reduce vulnerabilities of short-term low-skilled women migrants in the South-to-West Asia corridor? Results from the Gender-Sensitive Risks and Options Assessment for Decision Making (ROAD) to Support WiF-2
No full textUK Aid, through FCDO, is funding the Work in Freedom Phase 2 (WiF-2) which aims “to reduce vulnerability to trafficking and forced labour of women and girls across migration pathways leading to the care sector and textiles, clothing, leather and footwear industries (TCLFI) of South Asia and Arab States.” WiF-2 which runs from 2018 to 2023, intends to reach at least 350,000 women and girls at source in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, and at destination in Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon and Jordan
Editorial: Performance enhancement in rugby
Get PDFThere has been a growth in performance related research in rugby union over the last decade, with much attention paid to the physical and psychological factors of performance (1, 2). Similarly, there has been an increase in scientific publications focusing on injury and injury prevention (3), and specifically on concussion (4). Our aim was to build on the existing scientific literature and further explore training, testing, and performance at the amateur and elite levels of rugby. This Research Topic of Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, “Performance Enhancement in Rugby” contains 6 original manuscripts that meet our aim
Evaluation of sensory and physicochemical characteristics of vitamin B₁₂ enriched whole-meal sourdough bread fermented with propionibacterium freudenreichii
Get PDFThe sustainable production of vegan or vegetarian food rich in vitamin B₁₂ is a challenge. Propionibacterium freudenreichii fermentation has been identified as an effective method for the enhancement of vitamin B₁₂ content in foods. However, limited studies have been conducted on the co-fermentation of P. freudenreichii with other bacteria. This study investigated the co-fermentation of P. freudenreichii with Lactic acid Bacteria (LAB) and its effects on the sensory characteristics of whole-meal sourdough bread (WMSB) in comparison to WMSB produced with LAB alone. The effects of P. freudenreichii co-fermentation on WMSB vitamin B₁₂ content were also evaluated. Results indicated that P. freudenreichii co-fermentation with LAB significantly reduced (p < 0.05) crumb hardness when compared with WMSB produced with only LAB (4532 ± 176 g and 5313 ± 846 g respectively). A significantly higher adhesiveness (p < 0.05) was also observed due to the presence of P. freudenreichii. Triangle testing showed that perceptible differences were observed between the two WMSB types investigated in this study (p < 0.05). Qualitative data from focus group testing indicated that WMSB produced with co-fermentation has a more homogeneous texture. However, improvement in aroma, texture, and taste was possible in both bread types. The co-fermentation of P. freudenreichii with Lactic acid Bacteria (LAB) was successful in producing bread with enriched vitamin B₁₂ levels (ranging from 0.89 to 1.44 µg 100 g‾¹). Overall, the co-fermentation of P. freudenreichii presents an opportunity to improve the nutritional value of WMSB
A CEO's expertise power and bank diversification
Get PDFWe examine the effect of a chief executive officer (CEO)'s expertise power on bank diversification. Using US bank data from 1990 to 2020, we find that a CEO's expertise power is positively associated with bank diversification. Market competition and board composition (size and independence) positively affect this relationship. We also find that CEO delta and vega are the underlying mechanisms through which expertise power leads to greater diversification. We address endogeneity concerns using the two-stage least squares, Heckman estimation and the difference-in-differences approaches and check result robustness in several ways. We provide a new explanation for bank diversification that is useful for policymakers in developing a bank strategy concerning CEO behaviour in diversification
Ecosanctuaries: How can spatial design in new residential subdivisions enhance the halo effect? : A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Landscape Architecture at Lincoln University
Get PDFEcosanctuaries offer a potential solution for protecting New Zealand’s threatened indigenous wildlife by providing a ‘safe haven’ from predators and a breeding ground. Inevitably, wildlife will spread, or halo, out into the wider landscape requiring us to look beyond the fence. With increased pressure to develop land for residential purposes, this research explores how landscape architects can support ecosanctuaries through the spatial design of new residential subdivisions located within the halo of mainland New Zealand ecosanctuaries. A literature review of overseas conservation-oriented eco-estates in South Africa and conservation subdivisions in the United States unwraps strategies used in each that help inform the spatial design of new subdivisions in the New Zealand context. In addition, case studies of three ring-fenced mainland New Zealand ecosanctuaries and interviews with key employees identify the aspirations behind ecosanctuaries and reveal what needs to be done within the broader landscape to support their success. This research suggests that through the halo effect, ecosanctuaries influence the wider environment. In turn, the spatial design of the wider landscape affects the conservation success of ecosanctuaries. The findings show that beyond the fence, safe, quality and functionally connected habitat is required. By taking an ecosystem approach and ensuring careful spatial design at the ‘landscape’, ‘subdivision’, and ‘backyard/homeowner’ scales, landscape architects can help ensure the long-term success of ecosanctuaries as a conservation model. Based on findings from the research a checklist is provided listing strategies that can be used to inform the spatial design of new residential subdivisions within the halo of New Zealand ecosanctuaries
Emerging advances in biosecurity to underpin human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health
Get PDFOne Biosecurity is an interdisciplinary approach to policy and research that builds on the interconnections between human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health to effectively prevent and mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species. To support this approach requires that key cross-sectoral research innovations be identified and prioritized. Following an interdisciplinary horizon scan for emerging research that underpins One Biosecurity, four major interlinked advances were identified: implementation of new surveillance technologies adopting state-of-the-art sensors connected to the Internet of Things, deployable handheld molecular and genomic tracing tools, the incorporation of wellbeing and diverse human values into biosecurity decision-making, and sophisticated socio-environmental models and data capture. The relevance and applicability of these innovations to address threats from pathogens, pests, and weeds in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems emphasize the opportunity to build critical mass around interdisciplinary teams at a global scale that can rapidly advance science solutions targeting biosecurity threats